Scotland risks crippling its economy and jeopardising its long-term prosperity if university funding is not increased in line with England, an education chief has warned.
Scotland risks crippling its economy and jeopardising its long-term prosperity if university funding is not increased in line with England, an education chief has warned.
David Caldwell, director of Universities Scotland, said yesterday he was "very concerned" that the widening gulf in education north and south of the border could leave Scotland unable to recover from the economic downturn, and he suggested that top-up fees - currently ruled out by the Scottish Government - may become more attractive in the near future.
Mr Caldwell's comments came after a report commissioned by the UK Government recommended that the £3000 cap on top-up fees in England should be lifted, opening the door to £20,000 courses at some institutions.
If the proposal is implemented, university leaders fear that Scotland would be rendered unfit to compete with richer southern institutions.
Mr Caldwell said: "It's an issue we're very concerned about, because it makes a huge difference to the economic prospects of Scotland.
"There's a lot of concern about the economic downturn and the outlook is gloomy, but there will be a recovery. A key issue in making sure Scotland is in a position to benefit is university funding; if we are to be well-positioned, we need technology and innovation.
"We cannot afford to let our universities have less funding than in England, or our economy will continue to perform less well than theirs."
Developments in England increase the pressure on the Scottish Government to act on university funding, making it "really vital that the issue is addressed," Mr Caldwell added.
He said: "We would understand if they told us they couldn't afford to meet funding from existing income, and we wouldn't be surprised if top-up fees were the conclusion."
Decisions on university funding are the responsibility of the Scottish Government, which remains firmly opposed to the possibility of introducing top-up fees in Scotland.
A spokesman said yesterday: "Clearly this is an idea floated to the Westminster Government, which may or may not happen.
"This Government believes that access to further and higher education should be based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay.
"Scotland has a strong university system and, despite Westminster imposing the tightest financial settlement since devolution, we are investing a higher proportion of spending in our universities than the previous administration.
"There is currently no funding gap with England. Universities have also received additional funding totalling £70m since the spending review was published, taking our investment in the sector to more than £1bn a year."
The Scottish Government is also creating a tripartite advisory group to advise the cabinet secretary, currently Fiona Hyslop, on the level of public investment required to maintain overall comparability with the rest of the UK.
The debate yesterday was sparked by a report to Westminister universities secretary John Denham, which recommended lifting the £3,145 cap on fees so that academics could focus more on teaching, rather than meeting government conditions to secure funding.
A UK review of university funding is due to begin next year and fees could be raised from 2011 onwards.
If fees rose in line with those charged to overseas students, then medical degrees at many universities could cost in excess of £20,000 annually, while arts courses would cost around £7000.
